England's Winter of Cricket 2020/21

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Rum sort of field for Nadeem to Sibley...two short covers ???

Not noted for getting caught there , is he ? Strange theory...

Smart bowling from Jimmy...Ishant surprised by a rare Anderson throat ball and gone...

Nine down. Still 55 behind.

Another catch for Pope which will please some tipping competition entrants

Anderson gets a deserved wicket with a good bit of bowling to surprise Ishant with the shorter ball.

One more to go for England...

Anderson gets Ishant, Washington should now try to get as much as possible.

Bit surprised Root replacing Leach ? Jack was bowling well so I don't see the need...

Isn't proving a good move : 4 2 6

Think Root has been largely on the ball with his changes this morning ; but this was odd. And ill advised , I think.

Yep, not sure why Root gambled on himself with Leach bowling well and in a groove.

Usually I don't mind Root bowling a few. He is a decent part timer and his quicker pace on this pitch could get some results. With one wicket to go and Leach bowling well I just don't get it though.

What a catch. Ben Stokes. Just freakish how easy he makes that look.

80 runs and 4 wickets from just over 20 overs in the morning session. An engrossing day so far. A shame for Sundar to get stranded in a excellent innings.

England lead by 241, confirmation that they wont enforce the follow on.

With England needing around 150 runs as quick as possible I'd certainly consider altering the batting order now.

All done...great catch by Ben Stokes , makes all ten caught. Two for Jimmy. Lead of 241 which is actually about what I expected overnight - though the pattern of the morning was a little more lopsided than I'd looked for.
Excellent innings of 85* for Sundar

England batting again ...couple of overs before lunch ?

India bat out a session...well almost
Now they need to bowl really tight.....open with a spinner at one end and Bumrah at the other

Perhaps Nadeem should open

Splendid innings from Sundar, but ran out of partners and stranded on 85 not out. Bumrah had only 2 balls to survive in the over but Anderson gets him, with the help of yet another fabulous catch, this time from Stokes. So 337 all out it is. England gets a lead of 241. Will they enforce the follow-on?

Burns gone for a diamond duck.

Why do I suddenly have a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach...

The two spin overs might look alarming...but it's the new ball......after 10 overs...ball will not jump and spin so muhc I think
And the pitch will be "managable" for the batters....i.e one odd misbehaving ball per over and not five.

India need to strangle Eng's scoring rate to less than 2RPO and force them to bat out almost two full sessions

king_carlos wrote:Burns gone for a diamond duck.

Why do I suddenly have a queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach...

Because you're an England fan , of course

This innings isn't likely to be as easy as many third innings. Pitch is definitely starting to do more , spinners will apparently be at them from the start - and some of these chaps are still with a bit to prove about combatting good spin.

But : they are 242 ahead. India only made 337 first time round and you wouldn't think they'd be likely to do better on days four and five. So it's not as if they're trying to build on a lead of 45 or so.

India may think that session was probably about as good as they might have expected : seems to me they are still playing with a very positive attitude. But England are still well on top in the game and as long as they don't have a total 'mare this afternoon they should still fancy this...

Highest ever chase in India was the 387 in Chennai in 2008 against, of course, England. Next highest chase in India is 276 though. So definitely in control as you say alfie but this India batting lineup has a very dangerous 1-7.

I think England will want a lead of around 400. The good news for England is that most of their order usually score fairly quickly off the spinners if they hang around for more than a few overs to get their eye in.

A fantastically poised game. The India players seem absolutely pumped judging by those 2 overs before lunch.

That drop of Sundar yesterday turning out to be even more important as India eat up a lot more time as a result. Barring a horrific collapse it's now a matter of timing the declaration right, but I don't expect Root to be too aggressive.

If Root has the choice (ie , they don't get bowled out for 100 !) I imagine he will want a lead of 400.
Maybe a little more . Depends on how they bat , how the pitch plays - as KP_fan says , batting against the older ball is a different animal.

Absolutely respect the talent in this Indian team. So even batting last you wouldn't be voluntarily giving them a soft target. But I'd imagine scoring 400 would take something like 110-120 overs - and that's asking a lot on day five.

I remember the 2009 Chennai chase of 387
Key was a 100 run opening stand at 5 rpo by sehwag and gambhir
And that's the only chance of India even looking to chase if openers give them 50 to 100 start and 5rpo and one of them going on
Then the remaining 9 wkts get a manageable 3 rpo chase for under 300 runs

Ball already doing less now after 10b overs
India need to bring sundar in now

Ashwin picks up both English openers. The England skipper is out to the middle and immediately beginning to sweep the floor with the spinners! After Matthew Hayden in 2001, no other batsman have swept the Indian spinners to such distraction in India.

Nadeem is past his peak
Can't put 6 good balls in a row
A mistake in hindsight
Ind needs to put him on back burner in this inning
And bowl a. Lot of Sundar

India badly missing Ravindra Jadeja here. Nadeem is not only bowling those filthy no-balls, but a lot of short and wide dross too. Think Virat should have gone in with Washington with the new ball, he is usually deadly with the new ball in T-20s and gives nothing away. Ashwin was getting the new ball to do things in his usual fashion, Washington may have complimented him better than Nadeem who has been a massive letdown.

KP_fan wrote:Nadeem is past his peak
Can't put 6 good balls in a row
A mistake in hindsight
Ind needs to put him on back burner in this inning
And bowl a. Lot of Sundar

Not hindsight KPF, seemed a poor selection call from the word go, and he hasn't done anything to change that with ball or bat.

Roots playing like a man whos secure in his place unsurprisingly.

KP_fan wrote:
And that's the only chance of India even looking to chase if openers give them 50 to 100 start and 5rpo and one of them going on
Then the remaining 9 wkts get a manageable 3 rpo chase for under 300 runs

But different when you have Pant down the order ...

300 wickets for Sharma.

Very similar dismissal for Lawrence as in the first innings.

Safe to say that wasn't a great review from Lawrence. A scratchy innings from the youngster with him struggling to get the ball off the square.

Congrats to Sharma on a deserved 300 wickets.

From an England perspective I'm not overly upset to see Stokes and Root at the crease together. If they bat together for 10 overs at their natural rate then England should be fair way along to that desired lead.

Yeah its the 3 wickets england can afford to lose. RR should improve

A minimum of 49 overs left in the day. I'd hope England will bowl a bare minimum of 20 of those at India but with a lead of 305 already they might be able to get more overs than that at India this evening if Root and Stokes can bat a few together.

Root has already moved along to 27. He's really set to have a bumper series here. Spin is creating him no trouble, Indian spinners usually struggle against batsmen who can sweep well and even Ashwin is unable to find a way around Root.
Massive moment for Ishant Sharma though, got Dan Lawrence to reach his 300 wickets milestone. When he came on to the seen and made Ricky Ponting look like a rabbit in headlights all those years ago, it was thought he was the next big thing in Indian cricket. Since then, there were many disappointments, many let downs, but Ishant finally got his act together in the last 4 years or so and though has lost a bit of the pace that made him such an exciting prospect, has become a more rounded bowler. No more nonsense about unlucky Ishant, realized he has to make his own luck, and that it is the edges taken rather than the edges missed that would matter at the end of the day. Third Indian quick to the 300 wickets club after Kapil Dev and Zaheer Khan.

Ashwin gets Stokes!

king_carlos wrote:A minimum of 49 overs left in the day. I'd hope England will bowl a bare minimum of 20 of those at India but with a lead of 305 already they might be able to get more overs than that at India this evening if Root and Stokes can bat a few together.

Agree with Cook that England should be looking at 400 some time after tea, 100 overs at India should be enough. Stokes down doesnt really change that although there is a small risk they will crash from here.

Stokes gone. That will hinder the run rate, though I'm pleased from an England perspective that the pitch is clearly doing bits, albeit with a new-ish ball for now.

I'd be surprised if Root declared at 400; I expect him to aim for closer to 450 than 400. He'll be thinking of Headingley 2017 and Brisbane 2021.

Root is batting on another planet, the best way to go about is to get around him it seems!

Well Stokes won't be contributing...

71/4 and England in a bit of trouble. Scoring rate is OK , but they're running out of batsmen . Guildford's Pickle Problem might be rearing its ugly head soon

On the other hand the fact that Ashwin is doing so well suggests Bess and Leach might fancy their chances later on as the pitch wears further.

Lead by 312 at the moment. Testing time for Pope now...will be a sign of how he handles the different pressures of batting in the subcontinent. A positive start...

alfie wrote:Hi guildford

I do not think you are alone in that view - though perhaps in the minority on here. I certainly don't want to see the follow on enforced on this occasion , for reasons outlined above ; but I would never rule out any option too far in advance. Condition of pitch , condition of bowlers , actual time/runs/overs applying at decision time should all be considered.

Would be rather surprised if the pickle theory curse struck England today . Unless the remaining Indian bats do very well they are likely to have a handsome lead and you'd think run chasing on day five is going to be fraught with peril judging by the way a couple of balls in Leach's last over behaved ; so they should be able to bat with relative calm and a set purpose.

But this is cricket and things sometimes don't go altogether to plan so I think I will just watch this first session before trying to channel Nostradamos...

Morning, all and thanks, Alfie.

I'm not a massive subscriber to the Pickle Theory myself but thought I would give it some air following KP-f's post mentioning a possible England collapse.

We're 320 ahead now with 6 wickets left. Hopefully sufficiently ahead to avoid the Theory coming into being. However, I go along with Cook in the UK studio about wanting to get past ''the magic figure of 400''.

Think its time for Bumrah to have a crack, if he manages to dislodge Root, the could be a big moment. Throw him the ball, ask for a 4 over spell in which he gives his everything.

Christ wheels looking shaky if not quite falling off here. Why is it only Joe Root can bat?

(edit apparently No Balls is batting well too)

OK at least that was a woeful call from the umpire!

Gooseberry wrote:

king_carlos wrote:A minimum of 49 overs left in the day. I'd hope England will bowl a bare minimum of 20 of those at India but with a lead of 305 already they might be able to get more overs than that at India this evening if Root and Stokes can bat a few together.

Agree with Cook that England should be looking at 400 some time after tea, 100 overs at India should be enough. Stokes down doesnt really change that although there is a small risk they will crash from here.

Some people don't like Cook but I think he generally has a pretty good handle on the situation. Or perhaps he just agrees with me quite often

Bit when I heard all that stuff from some commentators about pushing Stokes and Buttler up to open I rolled my eyes... Way premature. Anyway every time they've shoved Jos up the top for quick runs he's got out for a duck . Bat normal for a while , go hard later on...

Like the Pope positive approach but he wants to be a bit careful he doesn't overdo it.

king_carlos wrote:On the follow on and pickle theory issue I think I'm leaning towards not enforcing the follow on (if England get the chance of course) for a change. Largely to give Jof a bit of time with his feet up. He will be so important not just in the second innings bowling but also the rest of this series and year. If we have a chance to stop Jof being in the field for a long consecutive spell then I'd take it. A session and a half batting with Burns and Sibley opening as usual but the potential to push Root, Stokes and Buttler up the order if really needed should give England a buffer and some time for the bowlers to rest up.

We need to get these last 4 wickets first though.

England continuing with the old ball with the seamers for now. There's a tiny bit of movement coming from the old ball but I think I'd get the new nut in their hands ASAP.

Carlos - don't think I didn't spot your cunning plan to deny me Pope's runs in Joey's comp!

The onfield umpire almost helped you there but rightly saved on review.

Btw, and not just to do with my men in Joey's comp, is Bumrah out there? I note he hasn't bowled yet.

In fact Virat should have brought Jasprit early on to Lawrence and Root. Its clear that spin doesn't trouble Root and we need something special to get him. The England skipper is already well set, and India's best bowler hasn't had a bowl yet! Strange captaincy from Virat. Nadeem, the least impressive of spinners got the new ball when Sundar has proven to be a better exponent with it, and no Bumrah yet!

25th no ball of the match from India England bowled 1. If theres one thing they can take to look at improving on from this match its that.

Gooseberry wrote:Christ wheels looking shaky if not quite falling off here. Why is it only Joe Root can bat?

(edit apparently No Balls is batting well too)

Maybe a slight exaggeration ; but when you consider he averages over fifty and none of the others get much over 35 you can see there is a gulf in class.

Maybe Pope will one day get up there too. And Stokes' figures are OK for an all rounder , and improving ; but none of the others would have got near the England side back in the Strauss Cook Trott Pietersen Bell time...

People can improve and hopefully will. But we need to be realistic about this lineup.

alfie wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:

king_carlos wrote:A minimum of 49 overs left in the day. I'd hope England will bowl a bare minimum of 20 of those at India but with a lead of 305 already they might be able to get more overs than that at India this evening if Root and Stokes can bat a few together.

Agree with Cook that England should be looking at 400 some time after tea, 100 overs at India should be enough. Stokes down doesnt really change that although there is a small risk they will crash from here.

Some people don't like Cook but I think he generally has a pretty good handle on the situation. Or perhaps he just agrees with me quite often

Bit when I heard all that stuff from some commentators about pushing Stokes and Buttler up to open I rolled my eyes... Way premature. Anyway every time they've shoved Jos up the top for quick runs he's got out for a duck . Bat normal for a while , go hard later on...

Like the Pope positive approach but he wants to be a bit careful he doesn't overdo it.

My only problem with Cook is that hes maybe a little too close to the older England players but he clearly knows far more about how the team dynamics work and how people think about cricket these days compared to those who have been out of the game for 20 years plus. Nor does he have the ego of a Warne or KP, or the desperation to be a media star like Vaughn (plus his annoying habit of trying to sell players he manages). Hes done a good apprenticeship on TMS and starting to find his natural confidence a lot more now, think he will go on to be a fine commentator and a mainstay of the linuep for whatever broadcasters get the deals in future.

msp83 wrote:In fact Virat should have brought Jasprit early on to Lawrence and Root. Its clear that spin doesn't trouble Root and we need something special to get him. The England skipper is already well set, and India's best bowler hasn't had a bowl yet! Strange captaincy from Virat. Nadeem, the least impressive of spinners got the new ball when Sundar has proven to be a better exponent with it, and no Bumrah yet!

Bumrah on now. But bizarre captaincy to hold him back so long , isn't it ? . Could he be nursing a niggle , perhaps ?

The faith in Nadeem in this match really hasn't been justified in any shape or form. Does Kohli just not like Kuldeep , I wonder ?

Ashwin bowling superbly. Encouraging to see what life he is getting from the pitch, tempered a little by knowing Bess/Leach won't be able to replicate it to the fullest extent.

alfie wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:Christ wheels looking shaky if not quite falling off here. Why is it only Joe Root can bat?

(edit apparently No Balls is batting well too)

Maybe a slight exaggeration ; but when you consider he averages over fifty and none of the others get much over 35 you can see there is a gulf in class.

Maybe Pope will one day get up there too. And Stokes' figures are OK for an all rounder , and improving ; but none of the others would have got near the England side back in the Strauss Cook Trott Pietersen Bell time...

People can improve and hopefully will. But we need to be realistic about this lineup.

More specifically this winter Alfie, its absurd how far ahead of the rest of England he is. Hes absolutely been the point of difference thats lifted England from what wouldve been a struggling team to one thats on top. Hes already almost got as many as the 4 batsman who are out combined and at a fantastic rate. Bearing in mind two of his wickets this winter were run outs as well, plus hes taken wickets. Even the warm up scores were 77, 45 no, 74 no

Its getting to the point of absurdity! Its not like hes been given a lot of lives from bad drops.


Popes going well now despite that slight scare granted but its still clear who the man is.

alfie wrote:

msp83 wrote:In fact Virat should have brought Jasprit early on to Lawrence and Root. Its clear that spin doesn't trouble Root and we need something special to get him. The England skipper is already well set, and India's best bowler hasn't had a bowl yet! Strange captaincy from Virat. Nadeem, the least impressive of spinners got the new ball when Sundar has proven to be a better exponent with it, and no Bumrah yet!

Bumrah on now. But bizarre captaincy to hold him back so long , isn't it ? . Could he be nursing a niggle , perhaps ?

The faith in Nadeem in this match really hasn't been justified in any shape or form. Does Kohli just not like Kuldeep , I wonder ?

No problem with tjem starting with two spinners, but they couldve taken a risk on bowling both the seamers at Root early on rather than let him cream the spinners. He did bowl far more than they wouldve wanted in the first innings though so that may well be playing into the desire to hold him back.


Andd as I type the wicket comes to him! Turns out 606 knows it all

That was some delivery. India's intensity has been ferocious.

Told you! Jasprit gets Root!

Duty281 wrote:That was some delivery. India's intensity has been ferocious.

Some credit to Root for accepting the clearly correct decision and not wasting a review. Too many don't do the right thing.